


Paranoia

by queen_sinnamon



Series: The Cha-Jung Household [10]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Cha-Jung Household, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, It gets better I promise, M/M, cute family fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 20:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6872569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_sinnamon/pseuds/queen_sinnamon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakyeon was sometimes irrationally paranoid. There were times when he woke up and felt like he was dreaming, as if the past few years with Taekwoon, and Ken, and Hongbin, and Wonshik, and Hyuk had all just been in his head. One day he would wake up and find himself alone, no Taekwoon, no kids, but then he would find them somewhere in the house, solid and real in his arms, warm and heavy against his chest, and he would laugh at himself for even thinking that he had imagined them, but this time, there was no one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paranoia

**Author's Note:**

> Archive warning because it's not exactly graphic violence or anything extreme like that, but some people might be triggered. Please take care. Was supposed to be a cute mother's day special, but then...well, I bled. Mianhe. 人(_ _*) It gets better, I promise. It always gets better. Anyway, enjoy! ♥

When Hakyeon woke up that morning, the first thing he noticed was that the other side of the bed was cold. Taekwoon had gotten up earlier. Strange, but not unheard of.

The next thing he noticed was the alarm clock by his bedside. 11:32am. Hakyeon did a double take, sat up so quickly that blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy. That can’t be right. He couldn’t remember turning his alarm off. Did he forget to set it up the night before?

He had promised his kids that they were going out today, the entire Sunday just for them. He had had it all planned out. Breakfast buffet in the morning, during which his kids would clog the line to the omelette station; kids’ museum in the afternoon where they could play with the exhibits, hopefully not destroy anything (please, Hyogie, please); the pancake restaurant for lunch, where Ken could make pancakes of all shapes and sizes for his and his brothers’ amusement as well as their tummies; play in the park for hours and hours to tucker Hongbin and Wonshik out; ice cream; appa’s homemade dinner.

Now it’s all ruined because he forgot to turn on his alarm clock. Or not. Maybe he could still salvage it.

He ran out of the bedroom, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas, heading to Ken’s room and bursting through the personally painted door, clouds and little suns Ken made himself. “Good morning, Ken--” His voice died in his throat as he found the room empty, the bed made and neat. Ken’s painting rug had been rolled up and placed on his box of paints, not one can out or place. His paint brushes had been cleaned and left to dry in a can right next to the box.

Did Ken have an art class today? Hakyeon was pretty sure he didn’t, or did he miss Ken telling him? Sometimes that happened, when Hakyeon came home tired from work and his brain had been turned to mush. He tried to listen to his kids as they told him how their day was, but sometimes none of it stuck. A pang of guilt prickled in his chest. He promised himself he’d come home earlier, save some of his energy for his family.

Hongbin’s room. The door was simply painted, just the way Hongbin liked it, and locked more often than not, sometimes leaving the bathroom he shared with Wonshik as the only way to him. He hated when people ran into his room without knocking, strangely private for a grade schooler, but Hakyeon and Taekwoon respected that. Well, Hakyeon learned at least.

Hakyeon knocked thrice, each time muttering one of Hongbin’s many nicknames--It’s become a running joke in the family. “Hongbinnie? Bingbong? Bunny Hop?” Hongbin would make a face at them whenever they played with his name, but he never told them to stop, attacking them instead with whatever soft toy was in reach, usually Hyuk’s lion, much to the youngest’s chagrin.

No answer. Hakyeon tried the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and pushed the door open by a crack, prepared to slam it shut in case he got pelted with a pillow or something. No attack came, and Hakyeon braved to open the door completely, stepping in and finding the room clean and neat as always, not one book or shoe out of place, but pretty Hongbin-less.

Now where would that boy go? Football practice, which he rarely went to anyway, was only on weekdays. Has he taken up something new? Last time they talked, Hongbin was looking for an extracurricular he would like. Hakyeon had promised to help him find one, but they haven’t had a proper sit-down since. He made a mental note to get around to that as soon as possible, today, when he finds Hongbin.

He crossed the shared bathroom to Wonshik’s room, expecting to find the boy sprawled in bed and snoring, but found the room empty too, which wouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Wherever Hongbin was, Wonshik was usually nearby. But the room was as clean and neat as Ken and Hongbin’s. Books and toys on the shelf, dirty clothes in the hamper, hats in the cabinet, no dust bunnies under the bed--What? How? Why?

That didn’t make sense. No amount of encouragement or nagging from either Hakyeon or Taekwoon, even Hongbin, ever got Wonshik to properly clean his room.

What was happening? First Taekwoon was gone, then Ken, then Hongbin, and now Wonshik too. It didn’t make sense. Where were they? Why didn’t they wake him?

Struggling to keep his breathing in control, he ran to their youngest’s room, nearly ripping the door of its hinges in his hurry, and feeling his heart sink when he found the room empty, other than the ridiculous amount of stuffed toys Taekwoon had stocked it with. The bed had been made, all the plushies usually piled on top of it (and under which he would sometimes find Hyuk buried) arranged neatly on the shelf, the big ones on the floor or by the bed, heads lolling down with the weight of their stuffing, like sentinels mourning the loss of their charge.

Hakyeon and Hyuk had this little game of hide-and-seek, the boy somehow always knowing when he was about to visit his room and hiding among his stuffed toys. Hakyeon always knew where Hyuk was by one limb or another sticking out from the faux fur, if the barely contained giggles weren’t clue enough, but Hakyeon would pretend to search for Hyuk anyway. “Omo~ wonder where my little Hyogie is? Is he here?” he’d say as he looked under the bed, or dig through a pile of stuffed toys. The giggling would intensify, and then Hyuk would pop out from where he was hiding and Hakyeon would squeal and fall over, playing dead for the boy’s amusement.

Now there was silence. No giggles, no hand or foot sticking out from any of the piles of stuffed toys littering the room.

Hakyeon’s chest tightened, thick with dread, and he could hardly breathe, consciously willing himself to inhale, exhale. He returned to the bedroom he shared with Taekwoon, fumbling for his phone and wrapping his hands tightly around it to steady himself as he searched for something. A note. Anything. “Good morning, love. Out shopping, be back soon,” Taekwoon would stick onto their bedside lamp, but there was nothing. His inbox was empty.

He headed downstairs, lone footsteps echoing in the halls where there was usually multiple running up and down, giggles and squeals. Silence.

No one in the living room, all toys put away, the TV off. Even the sofa bed was tucked in, no Wonshik and Hongbin dozing on it. None of Ken’s leftover snacks or juice packs on the coffee table.

The kitchen was just as empty. No Taekwoon cooking, the sink and counters spotless. The dining table was unoccupied, no Hyogie initiating a footsie war under the table or Hongbin setting the plates and glasses as they waited for breakfast or lunch.

Quick, shallow breaths as Hakyeon punched the number one on speed dial.

_Please, Taekwoon. Where are you?_

“The number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try to call again later.” It didn’t even ring.

Choking down a sob, he called. “Taekwoon? Wonshik?” Checking Taekwoon’s home studio. Empty. Running to the basement, hyperventilating. “Jaehwan? Sanghyuk?” Only his voice echoing in the dusty room. Dashing up to the attic, nearly tripping on the hard wooden flooring, the soles of his feet and his palms clammy with sweat even as his entire body shivered. “Hongbin? Where are you? Please, say something!”

_Please, God, don’t do this._

Hakyeon was sometimes irrationally paranoid. There were times when he woke up and felt like he was dreaming, as if the past few years with Taekwoon, and Ken, and Hongbin, and Wonshik, and Hyuk had all just been in his head. One day he would wake up and find himself alone, no Taekwoon, no kids, but then he would find them somewhere in the house, solid and real in his arms, warm and heavy against his chest, and he would laugh at himself for even thinking that he had imagined them.

But this time, there was no one. No one calling back when he did. The padding of his footsteps echoing in the halls loudly, too loudly. The house suddenly felt so empty--No, too big. There was too much room and too few people, five people less than there should be, and Hakyeon felt too small, felt like the house was swallowing him alive, caving in over his head.

It was a cruel nightmare, it had to be. He refused to think he had just woken from the sweetest dream, only to wake up alone again. It can’t be. Taekwoon had to be real. Their kids--Ken, Wonshik, Hongbin, Hyuk--They had to be real. He won’t be able to live with himself if they weren’t.

Breaking down on the floor, his legs useless. He was somewhere else in the house, he wasn’t sure. He dialed the emergency hotline, cursing as he got the three-digit line wrong, fingers too shaky, eyes too blurry, crying out on the third failed attempt.

_Please, please._

Body wracked with sobs, harsh breaths scraping at his throat, knuckles bleeding white from clutching at his phone, vision going black. Wishing with all his being, not for the nightmare to end, but instead...

_Come back to me._

The world shook and he thought the ground would open up and swallow him, he wished it would, but instead suddenly he felt weightless, lifted up for a brief moment, before he is placed down again, warm and soft but also sturdy.

“I’m here, I got you,” he thought he heard someone say, voice soft and breathy, soothing. There were other voices, small and high but just as calming, even as they urgently whispered among themselves. If angels spoke, they would probably sound like this. Rocking back and forth, murmuring words of comfort in his ear, slowly filling him with warmth and pulling him gently back to life.

His vision cleared and he found himself curled up in Taekwoon’s lap, staring up at Ken and Wonshik’s face, tight with worry, eyes wet. He didn’t feel himself reach up but he watched as his hands touched their ruddy cheeks, dusky gold on rosy white.

“Don’t die, eomma,” Ken whimpered, pressing his face to his palm and Hakyeon’s laugh came out as a sob as he pulled them to him, hugging them tightly against him, making sure they were warm and soft and _real_ , and they buried their faces in his shoulder and chest, soaking his shirt.

“The ninjas got in, I told you we should lock their door,” he heard Hyuk grumble nearby, followed by a hum of agreement that was unmistakably Hongbin’s. “We’ll do that next time, and put seals on the doorknob too.” Hyuk grunted his approval.

With Wonshik and Ken pressed to him, he finally saw Taekwoon’s face and his entire body trembled with relief. “I...I thought…” Hakyeon started to say but his voice lodged itself in his throat. He didn’t need to continue anyway, Taekwoon was already nodding.

“It’s okay, we’re here now,” he said, sweeping Hakyeon’s hair away from his face, wet and sticking to his skin with sweat. He sighed at the touch, so relieved. “I'm sorry, I thought we could get back before you woke up. We even turned off your alarm.”

_Oh, that's  why._

Taekwoon worried at his bottom lip with his teeth, looking down at the floor in shame, and Hakyeon knew he must have been blaming himself for what happened. _No, it's not your fault_ , Hakyeon wanted to say, but he couldn't trust his voice, not yet, and instead placed his hand on Taekwoon's cheek, surprising his husband for a split-second before he started to nuzzle against his palm. Taekwoon started to lean down, to kiss him, and Hakyeon pulled him closer, needing to touch, to feel his husband against him.

But then suddenly, Ken and Wonshik were ripped away from him, startling both him and Taekwoon. The two boys struggled, reaching for Hakyeon, before Hongbin groaned, “Come on, they’re gonna be gross.”

Giggles bubbled up Hakyeon’s throat, washing over him in waves, placing pieces of him back where they belonged, as Taekwoon let out a puff of air, so amused, as he leaned his forehead against Hakyeon’s, settling with a kiss on his nose. Hakyeon dared to press his lips against Taekwoon’s, earning a collective sound of disgust from their children that made the two fathers laugh.

“Where were you anyway? I was so worried,” Hakyeon said as he slid off Taekwoon’s lap, only realizing then that they were on the couch. He gestured for Hongbin and Hyuk to come close and they did, a bit reluctantly because of the kiss, but he hugged them both tightly anyway, ignoring their false disgust as he nuzzled and kissed them each on the forehead. Taekwoon reached up to his face, gently wiping his wet cheeks with his fingers, so warm against his skin. Hakyeon could have sworn his husband’s face flushed pink then, and he would have teased him mercilessly if Wonshik hadn’t shoved a bouquet into his arms, between his brothers, red and white roses and pink carnations. It smelled heavenly.

“We got you gifts!” he declared, hands on his waist, chest puffed up, so proud as if it was his idea, and maybe it was. Wonshik was the sweetest of their kids after all.

“For what?” Hakyeon asked, confused but so happy, his grin nearly splitting his face in half.

Wonshik gasped. “The cake!” And Hongbin and Hyuk wiggled out of his arms as the four boys raced to the kitchen, pushing at one another and leaving Hakyeon even more confused and staring up at Taekwoon, who only smiled and stole another chaste kiss that made him blush to the roots of his hair.

The boys returned then, more calm now, carefully cradling a large cake between them, two small hands on each corner of the tray it was on. Round and tall, covered in white frosting, the sides dripping with frozen chocolate. On top, written with ripe mango pieces, were words that made Hakyeon’s eyes glaze over and quickly over spill with fresh, hot tears.

_“Happy mother’s day, eomma! We love you! ♥”_

**Author's Note:**

> Why abandonment issues? I figured someone as clingy as Yeonnie-eomma must have some reason he's so clingy and needy.
> 
> I swear I love them all very much. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
> 
> -
> 
> Thank you for reading! ♥  
> If you enjoyed, liked, or loved this story, please let me know by leaving a comment, kudos, or a little gift to us through [here](http://paypal.me/ChaJungPiggybank)\--Please do note if it's a gift for the Cha-Jung Household. ♥
> 
> We're not requiring you to do any of that, it's completely up to you. We would just be very thankful for any and all kinds of feedback.
> 
> Have a nice day! ♥


End file.
